TU Dance Opens Ninth Season at MN's The O'Shaughnessy, Now thru 11/18

The O'Shaughnessy presents TU Dance's Fall Concert, opening the company's ninth Twin Cities season. The program features the world premiere of Uri Sands' Feather and Bone, inspired by the work of Canadian photographer Gregory Colbert, as well as favorites from the company's repertory, including Camille Brown's Strum (2012), and Sands' Amusement of the Gods (2010).

The O'Shaughnessy at Saint Catherine University is located at 2004 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota. Performances take place on Friday, November 16th at 8:00PM, Saturday, November 17th at 8:00PM and Sunday, November 18th at 2:00PM. 

A FREE Educational Performance for 4-12th grade students will be held today, November 16th at 10:30AM. For information and reservations call 651-690-6743 or kekoch@stkate.edu.

Tickets: Adult $18, $25, $31; Senior 65+/Student/ SCU Community $16, $23, $29. Tickets include a $2 restoration fee.

Founded in 2004 by Toni Pierce-Sands and Uri Sands, TU Dance has become a Twin Cities favorite, featuring Uri's signature choreography which combines modern dance, classical ballet, African based and urban vernacular movements in inventive and unpredictable ways. TUDance has received significant critical acclaim, including "Artists of the Year" by the Star Tribune and multiple "Best Performance" citations by the Sage Awards. Most recently, City Pages named Uri "2011 Choreographer of the Year." Last fall, the company opened TU Dance Center, a rehearsal and dance training facility in St. Paul, under the leadership of Toni Pierce-Sands, named Sage Awards 2011 Outstanding Dance Educator. Known for her soloist performances in Ailey signature pieces such as Revelations, Toni's career also includes seasons with progressive European companies such as Tanz Forum in Germany and Company Rick Odums in Paris. Uri, meanwhile, developed a considerable reputation as both dancer and choreographer with companies like Complexions and North Carolina Dance Theatre. Along with the many honors for TU Dance, Toni and Uri were each awarded McKnight Artist Fellowships for dance and choreography, respectively.

TU Dance features Toni Pierce-Sands, Uri Sands, Berit Ahlgren, Hassan Ingraham, Christopher LaPlante, Lucas Melsha, Alanna Morris, David Rue, Duncan Schultz , Katelyn Skelley, Yusha Marie Sorzano and Elayna Waxse.